Cigar: Sam Leccia Luchador El Gringo Chin Music
Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Pennsylvanian and Nicaraguan Ligero
Price: $49.99 for a bundle of 25 from Cigars International
Despite the crazy schedule that I and my family have endured, I will soon finally be able to take a couple of days and relax. After several months of planning, my two closest friends and I are meeting up in Las Vegas for a bit of relaxation. And by relaxation, I’m sure that is mainly the consumption of adult beverages and the smoking of fine cigars, among other things. We’re a little bit older than we were in high school and college, so I’m sure it won’t be too crazy (at least on my end). As part of my contribution to the trip, I’m bringing along a collection of cigars to help us save some money at favorite hangs like Casa Fuente. While I was able to get a nice deal on some Leaf by Oscars, I’m also bringing along the cigar I am reviewing for you all today.
Unless you are relatively new to the cigar world, I would imagine the vast majority of you have smoked a product that Sam Leccia had his hand in. The Sam Leccia Luchador El Gringo I happened upon by accident; I was searching deals on CI’s website for bundle cigars and was about ready to pick up one of my favorite values when Sam’s name caught my eye on the bundle. After reading a few sentences in the description, I added it immediately to the cart and pressed Check Out. Having smoked Sam’s work for many years, I was confident this cigar was going to fit the bill just fine.
This is the first time in a long time that I thought I found a flaw with the physical examination of a cigar (for review purposes) but it turned out to be a false alarm. The middle of the cigar chosen for review felt a little bit more packed to my fingers than normal. If it was, there were no issues in the cigar burning around that particular area. I got notes of mild wood on the pre-light aromas while the cold draw gave me more wood and faint berries. After a V cut on my guillotine and the light of a match, I was given initial flavors of spice all around my palette, more wood from earlier and a touch of something sweet on the aftertaste. Medium bodied is how I would characterize the initial strength level of the cigar. Ten to twelve minutes, the spice mellowed a bit, leaving the wood and sweetness to hang around. It more or less stayed this way until the halfway point, where everything began to reamplify. The wood began getting stronger, the spice became more noticeable again and the strength of the cigar began creeping up closer and closer to full bodied range. By the final inch, everything was on the strong side at full bore to finish out the cigar. Total smoking time was 1:12.
Despite the perceived problem listed above, I actually encountered zero problems with the Sam Leccia Luchador El Gringo Chin Music. The burn has generally been even across all the cigars that I have smoked and not just the one grabbed for review. I’ve used the guillotine cut on all those cigars and have not had a single bad draw yet. All in all, this is one value bundle cigar I am very pleased with.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10
To recap the Sam Leccia Luchador El Gringo Chin Music:
- A fantastic medium bodied Nicaraguan cigar that increases in strength as you smoke it. A solid foundation of flavors that would make nearly anyone happy.
- The price point on this cigar makes this not only a fantastic value but one that you can pass out to your sometimes cigar-smoking friends and not fret if it isn’t for them.
- These are definitely going to be bought again. And I know that they will be a big hit with my friends in Vegas.
Thank you very much for reading. I look forward to the next time I can share my thoughts with you.